Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to the field of document processing.
The number of paper documents used in commercial and non-commercial environments has increased substantially with the proliferation of copiers, printers, facsimile machines, and other paper document producing devices. As a result, the ability to track physical locations of paper documents is of great importance, especially in an office environment. In addition to tracking the locations of paper documents, users also frequently need to perform one or more actions based on the physical locations of the paper documents. Conventionally available systems do not provide the ability to track or perform actions based on physical locations of paper documents.
In light of the above, there is a need for techniques that facilitate the tracking of paper documents and the performance of actions based upon physical locations of the paper documents.
Further, due to the widespread use of computers and other data processing systems an increasing amount of information is now being stored in digital or electronic form. For example, electronic information is stored in the form of electronic documents such as files, etc. Examples of electronic documents include documents created using application programs such as word processors, email programs, image editors, etc., scanned images of paper documents, documents stored in various formats such as PDF, Postscript, etc., and other types of documents stored in electronic form.
The vast number of electronic documents coupled with the proliferation of paper document output devices such as copiers, printers, and facsimile machines, has also greatly increased the number of paper documents that are generated using the electronic documents.
Due to the large number of electronic documents and paper documents, it becomes very difficult to identify an electronic document corresponding to a particular paper document. The problem is particularly acute in office environments. Most office users have had the experience of spending a great amount of time trying to locate an electronic document corresponding to a particular paper document.
As a result, the ability to locate electronic documents corresponding to paper documents is of great importance, especially in an office environment.
Further, containers are widely used to store objects. Examples of containers include: boxes, cabinets, cupboards, shelves, storage racks, etc. used in office environments to store a variety of objects including documents, books, stationery, and several other objects; a briefcase or bag used by a person; a toolbox used by a handyman to store tools, etc.; storage containers used for transportation purposes; and other types of containers.
A common problem shared by all containers is that there is no easy way of automatically determining the contents of a container. In order to determine the contents of a container, a user has to manually peruse through the objects stored in the container. This process of manually determining the contents of a container can be extremely time-consuming and frustrating, especially when a container stores several items. For example, it may take a user a lot of time to determine the contents of a box of documents.
Several techniques have been developed to ease the task of determining objects stored in a container. However, most of these techniques still require significant manual effort and lack the automation and convenience desired by users. There is therefore a need for techniques that automate and simplify the task of determining the contents of a container.
Further, in any project involving a group of people, cooperative and coordinated interaction typically is key to the success or failure of the undertaking The project begins with a series of meetings to identify the desired goals, and to begin understanding the tasks needed to achieve the goal. In a marketing situation, for example, product managers and sales persons convene frequently to define the product line or services, to identify potential markets and target customers, to develop advertising strategies and product roll-out scenarios, and so on. In an engineering setting, basic design goals and basic implementation strategies are discussed and identified.
An important though somewhat tedious outcome of this effort is the production of many documents. Most documents are freely distributed among individuals. Invariably, however, a number of documents will be produce that contain sensitive information. Engineering plans and designs might have to be documented, but kept secret or otherwise secured. Marketing plans and forecasts, and customer lists are typically sensitive subject matter that require controlled access.
These sensitive documents, nonetheless, need to be copied, distributed, and otherwise disseminated among many individuals in the organization in order for progress to occur. A need therefore exists for a method and system to provide document security support.
Further, during the course of running a business, there are many steps and people involved in each endeavor. Accompanying this activity might be the flow of large numbers of documentation. For example, documents generated by a person or by people in a workgroup often require distribution to other people in the company or among different groups of people. Workflow systems provide a way for managing the flow of numerous documents during the course of a project.
Any substantial project is likely to produce volumes of paperwork. Effective management of a large-scale project requires up to date information. In the case of documents, it is important to know who has what document, how far along a document is in the review process, and so on. This can facilitate identifying critical paths and bottlenecks. It is therefore desirable to be able to enhance a workflow system to improve its utility.